League Of Its Own
League of Legends: Wild Rift reaches lofty $1 billion across 111 million downloads
data.ai suggests such a milestone was reached through optimisation of touch controls and quick matches
Chinese App Market
Apple isn’t complying with China’s new app store regulations
The Cyberspace Administration of China has named 26 app stores complying with its new rules
Success In China
MapleStory M surpassed $55 million in its first 35 days on the Chinese market
The game’s success in China pushed the game over $600 million in lifetime revenue
Licence List
Chinese licence approvals are on the up this September, but just how high?
September matches top month of 2023 with 89 new game approvals
Chairman Comes
miHoYo co-founder Cai Haoyu steps down as chairman… Liu Wei steps up
Cai Haoyu will focus on research and development to push the company forward
Clampdown
Uma Musume Pretty Derby yanked from Chinese app stores two weeks after launch
The game's sudden withdrawal may be due to the gambling connection of its horse racing themes
Indian Market
Indian gaming market set to generate $868 million in revenue in 2023
96.8% of Indian gamers play on smartphone or tablets
Announcements
Tencent teases competitor to NetEase's Eggy Party
The Fall Guys/Stumble Guys-inspired title has been a big hit for NetEase
Gaming In China
miHoYo and NetEase block Alipay payments on iOS
iOS users were also banned from recharging via Alipay
Chinese Market
Which games ruled the Chinese market in August?
More than fifty new games were released in the world’s biggest mobile gaming market over the month
Industry Insight
China dominates among the top 100 global mobile publishers
40 of the top 100 publishers in August 2023 were from China - three more than in July
Success In China
The Chinese mobile game markets generated $3 billion in July 2023
The sector saw a 50% year-on-year increase in revenue
Chinese Restrictions
China bans iPhones and other foreign-branded mobile phones for government officials
The move appears carefully timed, impacting Apple's share price pre-iPhone 15 reveal
Chinese App Stores
China’s app stores begin compliance with China’s latest regulations
Tencent and Xiaomi are among the app store owners now complying with the government’s regulations
Approvals Arrive
China approved 31 foreign games in August
2023's year-so-far exceeds 2022's total as The Lord of the Rings and One Piece mobile games get the go ahead
Garena Free Fire
Garena Free Fire returns to Indian app stores on September 5
The title was banned in the country in 2022 due to national security concerns
Milestones
Crystal of Atlan is ByteDance’s first homegrown success story
The game is their first major hit that was developed in-house
Insights
How Genshin Impact's devs were driven to tears
MiHoYo's president reveals how comparisons to Nintendo's Zelda Breath of the Wild were a major concern pre-release
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including developer hardships, IP disputes and China's ongoing war against games
Chinese Restrictions
China’s game restrictions aren't working
A new study by Nature Human Behaviour has found that players are willing and able to circumvent restrictions
Sensor Tower Report
37 of July's top 100 mobile game publishers came from China
Chinese publishers accounted for nearly $2 billion for the month
Regulations
China’s game licencing system to be extended to all mobile applications
Companies will need to either have a branch in China or work with Chinese companies in order to publish apps
Genre Report
Arena and adventure games are set to exceed $4.7 billion in revenue in 2023
The post-apocalyptic genre saw a significant surge in downloads
Gaming In China
China’s gaming market climbed by 20% in July
July offered strong evidence for a rebound in the country’s gaming market
Chinese Restrictions
China to implement new restrictions on children's smartphone use
Just when it looked like China legislation was opening up, new moves to restrict the market are afoot
Mihoyo Milestone
MiHoYo makes $8 billion in user spending with 73% from Genshin Impact
Honkai: Star Rail makes up 6% of the total in just a few months
China Licensing
Is China's gaming output back on track?
With 88 new licences granted, could the country’s regulatory issues be coming to an end?
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hit a record $67.5 billion in the first half of 2023
Mobile spend has returned to growth following declines in 2022
Releases
NetEase’s newly-released Justice Online tops the iOS App Store charts
The game was previously tipped to use AI for character dialogue at certain points
Goliath Games
June’s three most lucrative mobile games all came from China
Sensor Tower reports on the 10 biggest revenue generators worldwide
Making Money
From Peak Speed to Honkai: Star Rail – who to watch in the Chinese games market
Sensor Tower’s June report reveals 39 of top 100 global publishers come from China
Regulation
South Korean game regulatory agency investigated for corruption
An investigation took place as a result of petition by players of gacha titles affected by unpopular age-rating changes
Stocks
NetEase sees stock rally of 85% fuelled by new game releases
Their performance on the Hang Seng Index got a major boost
Appointments
Animoca Brands’ Yat Siu joins Hong Kong taskforce on Web3 development
The executive chairman has been increasingly bullish on Web3
Legislation
South Korea could enforce an approval system for Chinese games
The Game Industry Promotion Law may soon be amended based on overseas practices
Mini-games
WeChat’s mini-games have over 400m monthly active users
The all-in-one social media app and platform is used extensively throughout China
On The Up
June's China game approvals make it 2023's biggest month yet
In an incredibly consistent year, approvals have eked ahead to 89
Event Highlights
Global trends, influencers and esports: insights from GameExpo Summit
Our first live event in Dubai delivered essential facts, figures and opinions about the worldwide game development scene (part I)
Tencent X India
Tencent eyes a comeback in India with Undawn
The game’s titles were removed from India but Tencent is ready to return via Level Infinite
Markets
Tencent and NetEase regain momentum as licences return
But licences volumes are still below their equivalent levels from 2017
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact records lowest monthly revenue as Honkai: Star Rail soars
The success of Honkai: Star Rail saw the original smash hit game’s revenue drop to $53.8 million
Reports
China game market forecast to hit $57 billion in 2027
Was $45.5 billion in 2022
Success In China
Tencent and NetEase generated over 80% of revenue among the country’s top game makers
The two companies were China's top developers by revenue in Q1
Honkai: Star Rail
MiHoYo is aiming for pole position in China’s market
A month on from the release of Honkai: Star Rail, and the game continues its meteoric rise
Coming Soon
NetEase showcases Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings games and a Vikings crossover
19 games were shown off in the English presentation of the company's latest roundup
Financials
Tencent announces positive 2023 first quarter financials
A tantalising glimpse into the goings-on behind the scenes at Tencent
China Chimes In
China approves Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
Yet another approval counter to the UK’s decision
Showcase
NetEase Connect showcase to reveal new titles and more
Their 2023 event is coming soon, featuring guest appearances and exclusive reveals
Stellar Star
Honkai: Star Rail pushes MiHoYo ahead of NetEase for revenue with only Tencent ahead
Honkai: Star Rail starts stronger than Genshin Impact
Gamerefinery Report
Updates and record breakers: How did mobile gaming do in April?
GameRefinery analyses the mobile gaming market last month